"but I'm not flexible"

Often when someone tells me that they are interested on yoga the next thing that follows it is that inevitable, "but I am not very flexible." Almost every person that I have spoken with that has never done yoga says that. I can understand why though. Western yoga gives off that air. I really wish I could put into words just how much more there is to yoga than "stretching" and "flexibility", but if that is what takes you to yoga then please understand this-yoga can make you flexible. Like working out helps you to lose weight. You have to start and keep practicing and it will happen. Also like working out you will come to find that yoga provides so many more benefits that you weren't even looking for. Yoga isn't a "religion", it doesn't even have to be spiritual if you don't want it to be. Yoga is what you make it. What one asana may mean to me may mean something else to you. The point I am trying to make here goes back to non-judgment- don't judge yoga, don't put preconceived notions in before you try it- and try it more than once. It is not very often in life where you can get to the true nature of something by a one time encounter.  If you read my blog then you read my post about crow pose. This I still struggle with, BUT I keep going back. In yoga Monday night the instructor gave a lengthy instruction on the pose and how you can use a prop. (Thanks Jay!!) I just got done working on it. I did it for no more than a minute. I was immediately frustrated from the start. You cannot get anywhere with that. So, I did not judge and I moved on. My vow is to spend a few minutes everyday just meditating in the pose with the block building, up to the full pose itself. This is my point my friends; I have done yoga for about 3 years now and I still struggle, but I don't judge I just try. Sometimes that is all that we can do...just try and don't judge when our mind gives it's biased opinion of where it thinks we should be. We are were we need to be with everything we need to have. Maybe tomorrow I will be in crow pose...but maybe not. And I am ok with that. This is what my yoga has taught me.